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,tit of
II
"tries
of bu,,,c;.'m,~ planned bV the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research
to meet the pmtcity of literat1Lre in
a 8impie, yet authoritative form
and dealing witl£ farming and
animal husbandry 8ubjects, Each
of the Bulletins is 80 written a8 to
give a general picture of farming
practices in vogue in the country,
and suggest im,p7'ovements based
on re,~earc1t result,s. 1'he Bullefi1ts,
it is hoped, will be found useful
by tIle ju!'mer, the agrimtltural
student and tIle Extension worker
alike. _____. _ _ _ _ _ _
J
COVER PICTURE
Good-lized fruits obtained by grarting the J..:{lliplilli
chiku vari~ty on khimee (Miml/,I'C)ps hl'x(l/u/ra) at
tlte Fruit Research Station at Gandevi in Sural
district of Bumbay State
Edito r: M.
6. K M.tA. TU
Marc'll 1956
Prier As. 4
No. Ii
Parln Bulletin
CHIKU
THE
i n In d i a
BY
SOHHAB R. GANDHI, ~L Ag. (BomhfLY)
Fornwrly HOl'tieultltl'i:-.t to the Goyel'llmf'nt of Bomoa,y
CONTENTS
THE CHlKU TN INnCa
3-7
Olinmte-Roil-Varieti£''4
PROPAH.ATTNO 'rHI~ CHIKU
Air Ja.vering- rnaI'£' h grafting-Root.
stoc'k for grafting ('hiku-Gooty and
gra,ft-Gooties and grafLs in IndiaSolecting a mm;ol'Y grnft-Forkert
method of budding
7-20
20-21
Pr,AN'l'IXH '.rHE CHIKU
CARE 0]1' THE OaCHHW
MfLnurmg - Frost Intcr-cropBTl'Ilining and pruning-Treatment of
bearing trees and cropping-Sched ule
of ,1lUnml operations
21-27
HARVESTINt+ .AND YIELD
HarveRting Cold storage
Ripening-Packing -
27-29
INSECT I~ES'l'S aND DrSEASEfl
29-30
INDIAN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
NEW DELHI
r..:.,
-..] J....' .
",,"<'I
~
(~·:Libl.tl'
r
A well-looked after plant gives luscious chiku8
THE CHIKU IN INDIA
T
Hl~
CHIKU, also called sapodilla or sapota, is a native
of Mexico in Tropical America. It is not known when
it was first introduced into India. It is chiefly grown in the moist
co!tstal tracts of peninsulM India, but in recent yeM's, it has
been planted on !til appreciably hU'ge scale in the drier zones of
the Deccall plateau, and also in the submontane tracts of North
India.
The chiku t,ree is a handsome, slow.growing evergreen.
As
an orcha"d tree in I nelia, it attains a height of about 30 feet and
looks m[tjestic with its dense, rounded or pyramidal crown.
The fruit is round, oval or conical ill shape, two to three
inches ill diameter and almost like a smooth potato in appearance.
, The skill is russet· brown, thin and scurfy.
The flesh of the perfectly ripe fruit is honey-brown, soft,
mellow, granular, very sweet and delicious; but when the fruit
is hard and immatm'e, it is not edible as, then, it is fu ll of milky
htex and tannin.
or even more.
The number of seeds varies from one to foul'
They are hard, black, shining, flat, and about
three.fo urths of an inch long,
They
Ct~n
be easily separftted from
the ripe flesh.
The chiku is geneml ly eaten as fresh fruit, but it is aJso now
being utilized on an increasingly large scale for prepa,ring various
kinds of sweets
01'
halwas.
It contn,ins 12 to 14 pel' cent sugar,
Climate
The chilm is at its best in a strictly tropica l, humid, sea eli .
mate, with a high annnal rainfall of GO to 100 inches, In India,
its cultivation is at presellt limited to the states of BombltY,
Bengal, Bihar, Andhra, Madras and Hyderu,bad, It is also grown
4
in Uttar Pradesh on a small scale. In Bombay State, excellent
chiku plantations are found in large numbers within a short
distance froIn the sea-shore in the heavy rainfall ureas of North
Konkan. Though it does better near the coast than inland, it,
grows v.nd fruits fairly well under a variety of wet and dry
climates all over peninsular India up to an altitude of
3,000 feet.
It is an evergreen tree, growing and flowering e.lmost through.
out the year. Accordingly, it reqnires to be regularly irrigated
during the dry season. Untimely rain or cloudy weather at any
time of the yeat· ,is in 110 way harmful to the setting of fruits,
but a high temperature abo.ve 110°F during the Bummer may
cause dropping of blossom and scorching of fruits.
When young, it is easily injured by frost in North India, but
when well grown, it can withstand mild frost of a short duration.
In the hot plains of North India, the chiku can be grown only
under heavy irrjgation and protected from hot winds in
summer and cold winds in winter.
Soil
The land selected for growing cbikus must be well drained.
Alluvialloams on the banks of rivers, sandy Ioarus near the sea,
red lateritic Boils of the heavy rainfall tracts, two to three feet
deep, medium black soils overlying rnurum substrata such as are
found in the Deccan plateau and deep, alluvial, loamy soils of
the Indo-Gangetic plain are all suitable for growing chikus.
The chiku is a shallow-rooted tree. The minimulll depth
of soil in the hilly regions in which fairly good results can be
expected, is two feet. In selecting the soil, the subsoil aloo has
to be taken into account. The chUm will not thrive in It soil
with a subsoil of hard rock or of limy, yellow sticky clay. Soils
oontaining a very high percentage of lime are not suitable as they
cause loss of gteep matter of the leaves and the plants die within
5
a few years of planting,
Similarly, ill-drained, fine textured clay
soils are unsuitable for growing chikus.
Varieties
The number of chiku varieties grown in India is very small.
A dessert chiku of good eating quality should possess a pleasant,
sweet taste and good flavour. It should have as few seeds aR
possibl!'l' The pulp should be abundant, mellow and melting.
Thick-skinned, hard-fleshed varieties with a sandy, insipid taste
are conRid('recl inferior and, therefore, should never be given a
place in commercial orchards.
On the West Coast of Bombay State, there are about half a
dozen varieties under cultivation, hut only two of these are of
good quality and are cultivated all a sufficiently large scale. 'rhe
others are slowly going out of cultivation. Kalip(ttti is the
leading variety of Bombay. It has dark green leaves, spreading
branches and oval.shaped fruits of excellent quality, The flesh
of the fruit is mellow, sweet and mildly fragrant. It contains
one or two seeds.
The second best variety of Bombay is Ohatl'i, so called after
its habit of bearing distinct umbrella,·like whorls of branches
which show off the central stem (shaft) in distinct contrast to the
closely set whorls of Kalipatti which very nearly hide the centl'HI
shaft. The leaves of Ohatri are of light green colour and the fruit
which is very similar to that of i{alipatti ill a,ppearance is slightly
less sweet. Though a fairly good cropper, it does not bear
heavily as Kalipatti.
I:lO
The well known varieties of South India are O?'icket-ball,
DlI'arapudi, Bangalore, Vavivalasa, Kil·tabarti, J onnavalasa and
Pala.
0I'ic1cet·ball is a large-sized, round variety, having granular
flesh of moderate sweetness, It is said to proclllce better quality
fruits at elevations below 1,000 feet and under a relatively arid
6
Dwm'apudi much resembles Oriclcet·ball but 'is smaller
in size. Bangalore and ValJivalasu · are oval varieties. Chiefly
grown in the Circars, Kirtabarti is also a popular variety of
Andhra. Jonnavalasa is popular near Vizianagaram and bears
roundish fruits of small to . medium size. Pala is also a popular
variety of Andhra and Madras. It produces small, roundish to
oval fruits of good flavour.
climate.
B(lramasi is a popular variety of Bengal, Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh and has roundish fruits. The name Baramasi which
means 'ever bearing', is being exploited by Some nurserymen to
mean that this is the only all-the· year· round cropping variety ill
India. This, however, is not a fact. Really speaking, all chiku
varieties are by nature, all.the.year·round croppers as explained
later in this bulletin.
Notwithstanding the distinction made by growers between
the different, chiku varieties, the fruit trade in India has not yet
recognized any variety under a standard trade name for sale in
Oval and round fruits of the Kaiipatli variety
7
the market.
Whatever the variety, its fruit is sold as chiku ana
not by its varietal name.
At the most, it is called either a 'long' or 'round' variety
after its shape.
In most nurserymen's catalogues also,
no named varieties are fOIlIld to be listed except that they
are called 'long' and 'round' varieties. The terms 'long' and
'round' used by nurserymen for naming ch iku varieties are,
however, not sufficiently intelligible, as severa l varieties may have
an oval or long sbape and similarly several others may be round.
There are instances of varieties like Kalipatti and Chat1'i in
which long (oval) and mund fruits are simultaneously produced
on one and the same tree. Season also influences the shupe of
the fruit. It is observed that fruits maturing during the monsoon
are generally oval in shape and those produced during the cold
and hot seasons are mostly roundish.
The growers are, therefore, advised not to p lace much
reliance on such terms as 'long' and 'round'; they should buy
plants from nurserymen of repute who can guarantee the kind
and quality of the variety.
PROPAGATING THE CHIKU
THE
CHIKU is not usually propagated ft'Otn Beed as the
plant so propagated grows very slowly, takes maIlY
years to fruit and does not inherit the true characteristics of the
parent tree. It is, therefore, commercially propagated by vegetative methods such as air layering and inarch-gl'n,fting. Air layering
is a popular method of propagating the chilm in West Iu(lil1.
In other parts of India, inarch grafting is genel'ally practiRed.
A.ir layering
This method of layering is known as gooty layering in India.
It consists in rooting a branch while it is still attached to the
8
parent tree. When the branch has produced enough roots, it is
separated from the parent as an independent plant. The
operation is as follows.
Select a healthy, mature, terminal branch of the tree which
is desired to be propagated. The branch should be about two years
old, l-~ to 2 feet in length and 1- inch in thickness. It should have
plenty of dark green leaves. Remove a ring or girdle of bark
completely around the stem at the base of the branch to a
length of about one inch, with a sharp knife. Cover the exposed
wood and one inch of the bark above and below the l'ing with a
ball of moist garden soil. Bind it over securely with a bandage
of gunny cloth and keep it continuously moist by sprinkling
water on it daily.
As a result of ringing, the margin of the bark above the ring
swells due to the formation of a healing tissue called callus. Hoots
push out from the callus and fill up the ball of soil in course
of time. A branch thus rooted is called a gooty layer.
An ingenious method of securing a continuous supply of
moisture without much trouble is that in which an earthen pot
containing water is suspended over the gooty. From a tiny hole
in the bottom of the pot issues a. string which has a knot tied at
one end of it. The other end of the string is drawn through
the hole till the knot is brought down to fall upon and close up
the hole. The string is then carried on at full stretch and coiled
round the ball of the gooty. By this means, the water from the
pot oozes out slowly, triokles down the string and distributes
itself over the ball.
A layered branoh takes about two months to form callui!
and another three months to produce roots. For successful rooting,
a continuous supply of ~ater to the ball of the gooty is essential.
When the roots are seen protruding through the bandage in
large numbers and have turned from white to brown in colour, the
· .
,.~ '
.: j' ,
:j/
A
13
c
A. Ring of bark removed. The dotted oval shows the ball oCmolst clay
applied over the operated part. The margin of the hark above x
swells and gives oul roots
B. The bandaged gooty is kept continuously moist. The gooty will be
detached at the dotted line below the ball
C. The pot is filled and the gooty layer transplanted
branch may be severed from the parent tree by cutting it below
the bandage. The severing of the branch must be gradual. This
is done by cutting a small notoh in the branoh below the bandage
and deepening it every seoond day.
sever the gooty completely.
A fortnight will suffice to
The best time for gooty layering is March or April when the
sap is actively rising in the branches. With the setting in of
the south-west monsoon in June or July, the roots will begin to
s~rike and by the middle of September when there is still some
rainfall, the gooty will become ready for detaching from the
parent tree.
After detaching the gooty layer from the parent, it should
be immediately planted in a deep earthen pot which is slightly
bigger than the ball of the gooty,
10
It is not wise to layer a branch bigger than two feet in
length, as the roots produced by the gooty am not enough to
Hustain and nourish a bigger head. :-)l1ch goo ties with huge tops
wither away and die soon after potting.
III preparing a pot to receive the gooty, the first thing to do
is to bore a drainage hole in its bottom and then to put broken
pieces of hrickbats in it for drainage. Over the brickbats is
placed a small qua.ntity of dry leaves, and finally three-fourths of
the depth of the pot is filled up, at the time of planting the gooty,
with compost (mixture of soil and manure) made out of equal p~1rts
of garden soil (loam I and well rotted farmyard mfl,l1me. Soils
containing a large amount of clay a,re not suitable for potting,
hut silt dug out from the river bank is admirable for this purpose.
While planting, the gooty is held erect with i~s ball placed
in the centre of the pot.. Great care should be taken to press
the soil gently around the ball so as not to break the brittle roots
that protrude from the bandage. The cloth of the hand age rots
and mixes with the soil of the pot in course of time.
The potted gooty should be tied with and supported by
stakes, so that it may not shake and become loose at the root.
Gooties after potting are usually kept under partial shade and
watered daily till the beginning of the following monsoon when
they are sold away.
Before ordering gooties from nurserymen, growers are
advised to ascertain that the goo ties have been hardened jn the
nursery for at least six months and are not more than two feet
height. It is not uncommon to find unscrupulous nurserymen
selling freshly potted gooties of a huge size to growers who are
not usually conversant with the nursery practices. Such plants
often collapse in the plant package itself during railway transit
or die soon after planting in Lhe orchard.
it;
Air layerin(J is made quicker
and much le88 e.vpeW3ive by
11
Icrappill(I the ball oj the (Jootll with 1I'afel'-prooj 1)()l}er' in~tead of
(/unny cloth.
The method of gooty layering described in the foregoing
paragraphs is slow, time-consuming and expen1'live, as the layered
branch roots very slowly and, therefore, requires to be watered
for a long period of four to five months. A quicker and much
cheaper way of rooting the layered branch has recently been found
in the United States of America. The special feature of this
method is that the after-watering of the ball of the gooty is
E'ntirely dispensed with.
This llew method consists in using a transparent water-proof
film-paper for holding and wrapping of the soil· hall of the
gooty instead of the conventional piece of gunny cloth.
The film holds the wet soil- ball and conserves all the original
moisture therein till the roots strike. The striking of roots is
also highly accelerated and the layered branch becomes ready for
separation from the mother tree within a short period of four
to eight weeks.
One su('h film called 'Alkathene' made and marketed in India
by the Imperial Chemical Industries has been used very succe8Sfully on a commercial scale for layering at the I{,oyal AgriHorticultural Society's garden at Calcutta. The method employed
in this garden for wrapping and tying the film consists in first
surrounding the wet soil· ball of the gooty with a thin byer of
moistened !phal5n.!!,W.-l!!,Q§1:l and then wrapping it round with [1
piece of the film measuring 9 inches X !) inehes. Finally. the
two ends of the bandage are securely tied by meallS of a string.
The roots emerging from the soil-btl'!l are unahle to pierce
through the tough film-paper, but they can distinctly be aeen
through the transparent film. It is necessary to provide shade to
the gooty, as the film has a tendency to crack if exposed to the
sun for a long time. When a. sufficient quantity of roots is seen
12
to have struck witllin the film, the gooty may be detached from
the parent tree aUlI planted iu an earthen pot.
While planting the gooty, it is essential to remove the HIm
as it does not easily rot and does not allow the roots to break
through it as the gunny cloth does in the indigenous method.
There are various guages of the 'Alkathene' film, ranging from
HlO to 700. and it has been found that the guages 200, 250 amI
:300 are of sufficient thickness for making layers of most
of the soft as well as hard.wooded ornamental plants at the Royal
Agri.Horticultural ~ocicty's garden at Calcutta. It is. also found
that by llsing this fUm, the litchi which is known to be one of
the difficult among fruit trees to layer, roots within four weeks
in the climatic conditions obtaining at Calcutta. A similar film of a
foreign manufacture has bem used for layering the litchi with
equal success at the Pruit Research Station, Saharanpur. In view
of the experience at Calcutta with various kinds of trees, there
remains nttle doubt that the 'Alkathene' film would be equally
useful for layering the chiku also ill the shortest time possihle.
'I.'he 'Alkathene' film
retail price is Rs. 5·4 per
pound of the 300.guage
yards and is sufficient f01'
is sold in roll!; by weight and the CUl'rent
pound fo), all guages and widths. One
film, 72 inches wide, measures 72 square
layering as many as 124 branches.
Inarch grafting
A branch of the chiku tree (~cion) which is dei-dred to be pro·
pagated is united with the stem of another young plant (stock) of
the same family, When both have united with one another, the
scion branch is detached from its parent and the top of the stock
above the union is (lut off. The new plant thus prepared by
uniting the stock and scion is called the graft.
13
The stock plants are grown from seed in earthen pots for
about a year and when of proper size are elevated on a scaffolding
to meet the scion branches. The scion branch selected for
grafting should be about two feet in length, and stems of both th('
stoek and scion must be of equal thickness at the place whe~e
they are to be united.
An inarch-Iraft
The scion branch is brought close to the stem of the stock
and at the point of contact a thin slice of bark and wood is
removed from each by means of a sharp knife. The slice may be
two inches long, 1 to ! inch broad and about -l'"2 inch deep. 'fhe cut
surfacE's which should be absolutely flat should fi t on each other so
that the union may be perfect. The cut surfaces should immediately be tied together tightly, first with a flat tape and then with
a string, and finally covered with grafting clay or wax.
It takes nearly ~onths for the stock and scion to unite.
After they have united, the scion branch is severed from ihl
parent tree by cutting it through below the graft.joint. The
severance of the scion is effected slowly.
14
Ph'st, a shallow cut is made. '1'he cut is deepened after
about a week and the scion completely severed after another
fortnight. The original top of the stock above the graft-joint is
then removed. Grafts thus prepared are taken to the nursery
and nursed there for about six months before they are sold to
growers. Any growths produced by the stock below the graft.
joint should be promptly removed during the time the graft is
maintained in the nursery.
Root-stock for grafting chiku
The root-stocks generally used by nurserymen for grafting the
l'hiku are not necessarily chUm seedlings, but they are mOt'e
usually seedlings of other plants such as khirnee (Jfiml£8o)J,~
hezandra) and mohwa (Bassia longifolia) which also belong to the
same botanical family (Snpotaceae) as the chiku, It is necessary,
therefore, that growers get themselves acquainted with khirnel'
and mohwa trees as well,
]{hirnee is a fruit tree growing wild in Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, Andhra and West Bengal. The
fruit of khirnee which ripens in the hot season (May-June) is
about the size and shape of a small grape, bright yellow and
sweet with one or two large, black seeds. When immature, the
fruit contains latex and is not edible, but on ripening, the latex
disappears and it becomes edible. The kMrnee is called rayan in
Gujarati.
For raising root-stocks, fresh seeds are collected and sown in
low, flat beds in the beginning of the monsoon. After one year,
in the following monsoon when the seedlings attain the height of
about It feet, they are (larefully lifted with moist soil attaohed
to their roots and individually transplanted in small earthen pots.
Four months later, when these seedlings are properly established
ill pots, they are inarched with chiku branohes as explained
elsewhere.
15
J.1Iohwa is a forest tree of the wet zones of South India.
It bears non-edible fruits with large seeds. Nut'serymen in the
South lIse it as root-stock for grafting chiku, as it can very easily
be grown from seed. The seedlings attain the height and
thickness for grafting much quicker than those of khirnee.
There is another species of rnohwa (Ba.s8ia latifolia) found
growing wild in North Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Madhya
Bharat, It is a huge forest tree the fruits of which are non.
edible, but its fleshy flowers which very much resemble green
grapes, are extremely sweet and edible. It is from these flowers
that country liquor is made. This tree is called mohwa in Gujarati.
It is possible to graft chiku on this tree, but as it is a slow
gl'Ower, it is not commercially nsed as a root-stock for grafting
chiku in any part of India.
Gooty and graft
Before buying either a gooty or a graft, it is necessary that
the grower should have some knowledge about the structural
differences between these two kinds of plants offered ,for sale by
nurserymen, as both differ greatly from each other in their
capacity to adapt themselves to different soils and climdtes.
The gooty is one whole plant of homogeneous structure,
having its own stem and roots. As such, it directly draws its
food from the soil.
The graft, on the other hand, is made up of two distinct
plants-stock and scion. In the graft, the scion is entirely dependent for its nourishment on the roots of the stock. The root.
stock absorbs water and nutrients from the soil and passes them
on to the scion via the graft-joint. The Rucoess of a grafted
plant depends much upon the natural affinity between the stock
and scion to unite' closely with each other and their capacity to
grow harmoniously and co-exist in equal partnership. Both the
stock and scion must grow equally thick at the graft. joint.
16
Failure to do so by one is soon reflected in the functions of thE'
oLher and ultimately, the grafted tree becomes unproductive and
dies an early death.
The kind of root-stock used in grafting chiku also plays an
important part in moulding the entire life of the scion. The three
kinds of root-stocks-chiku, khirnee and mohwa, used for grafting chilm, have differdnt types of root systems, and they,
therefore, differ from one another greatly in their habit and
capacity to utilize water and nutrients from the soil. The chilm
scions grafted OIl each of these root-stocks must naturally vary
from one another in their vigour of growth.
Briefly stated, the type of root-stock influences the vigour of
the scion in a striking manner. Vigour in turn indirectly influences
the quality and size of fruit, yield, size of the tree top, hardiness
to heat, cold and drought, and resistance to cHseases.
From what has been said about the structural differences
between gooty and graft, it will appcar that out of the two, the
gooty is a simpler and safer plant for planting, as it does not
involve any dependence on another plant for its existence. In
fact, there is no justification in planting a graft 80 long as the
gooty produces abundant fruit of good quality; but there are
different soil and clhnatic conditions in wh ich the chiku standing
on its own roots as in gooty may not thrive. In such circumRtances, it has to be grafted on a suitable root-stock which helps
the scion to acclimatize in an otherwise difficult em'ironment.
Gooties and grafts in India
Before we discuss the observations made on goo ties and
grafts planted in different parts of India, it would be interesting
to have some knowledge of their root systems. The gooty is a
very shallow-rooted tree, the majority of its roots concentrating
in the top one foot to 1~ feet of soil. On the other hand, the roots
of the graft (on lckirnee) mostly concentrate between the second
17
awl third foot from the ground surface. This shows that whereas
the gooty would thrive in hoth deep and shallow soils, the gmft
(oulcltirnee) would require at least three feet deep soil for a BUCCHS·
fill growth.
In the coastal parts of Bombay State, in North KOllkall ~Ln(l
"';outh Guju,rat (annual rainfall 60 to 70 inches from .June to
Reptember), the gooty find the graft on khirne{3 both seem to
thrive equally well in the deep loams a.n(1 clay Ioams ; hut in the
H!Tht sandy Ioams within a mile or two of the sea-shore, the
'" ,
gooty grows much more luxuriantly I111c1 fruits more heavily t,han
the graft on khirnee.
The fruit of the gooty iH also repol'ted to be sweeter and
possessing a mellower pulp. Tn fact, H5 per cent orelHtrds
in these coastal regions ~tl'e planted with gooties and some of
them are over 30 yea!'!!
t.ive as ever.
ill
age al1(1 still a.re
ftS
healthy and produc.
Though grafting on khirnee I1nd on chiku root-stocks has been
experimentally praetised by a few growers on the West Coast
for long, the planting of grafts on It commercial scale seoms to
have begun as recently as 15 years ago. These grafts plante!l
ItS they are in heavier soils, are rellOI'tcd to fruit as heavily as the
gooties, and in an oxperiment at Ganrlevi, the grafts on lcltil'tMf'
ltl'C even reported to benI' more heavily than the gooties.
In an experiment at the Gn.ueshkhil1d Fruit Experimont
Htation, Pooua, situated ill the dry and light rainfall tI'ILct of the
Bombay -Deccan (altitucle ] ,800 feet; annual rainfall 20 to
25 inches from ,June to September; soil medium black, cllty
loam, two feet deep with a slight admixture of lime nodules), it
was observed that the gooty made fairly vigorous growth Imd
fruited well, whereas the graft on khirnee, though as vigorous as the
!:(ooty in the first two years of planting, tended to develop It disease
called chlorosis (loss of green matter from leaves) in the later years,
18
particularly on patches of land with calcareous subsoil which
contains large quantities of lime. Such plants die within It
year of contracting the disease. In the same experiment, the
graft on chiku root· stock though found slower in growth than
the gooty in the first two years, beca.me as fruitful as the gooty in
the later years.
In the Telingana tract of Hyderabad-Deccan in the shallow
chalk(t soil (derived from granite rock) which becomE'S extremely
hard on drying, grafts on kltirnee root,-stock mude poor growth
and did not bear much fruit.
At Kodur (Al1dhra), the grafts on khirnee were found to grow
and fruit better than the grafts on either of the two species of
mohwa (Bassia longifolia and Bassia lat~folia).
In the light rainfall tract and deep loamy soil of North
Gujarat, the grafts on khirnee are reported to give higher yields
than the gooties and the grafts on chiku root-stock.
In an experiment in the equatorial climate and lateritic soil
of Ceylon, the grafts on chiku root-stock were found to be the best
and the grafts on khirnee were nearly as good, but the grafts on
mohwa (Bassia lon,qifolia) failed to make good growth, as the
root-stock grew faster and thicker than the scion and made a
seedling below the graft-joint. These observations would be of
interest to growers in the southernmost parts of India where the
dima.tic conditions are very similar to those of Ceylon.
From the experience of grower>! and the experimental
.evidence noted above, the following recommendations are made:
1. The gooty can be safely planted in the moist coastal
regions as well as in the inland dry areas of peninsular India.
It will thrive in light sandy loams and also in heavier loams
,Qr olay loams. Being shallow-rooted, it will adapt itself well all
.oYer the Deccan plateau, provided the soil depth is not less
than ,tw;.o £e.et.
19
lchirnee is fairly good for planting in the
moist coastaJ l'egionA ns well as the dry inland areas, provided
the soil i::; at least three feet in depth. It thrives better in decp
Ioama, clay loams or deep lateritic soils. Avoid sandy soils,
;;hallow, rocky soils and soils with calCal'eOml subsoils.
2.
The graft
011
:.L The grl1ft on the chiku root-stock will be almost as
productive as the gooty in the moist coastal as well as the dry
inland tracts, But such grafts are not commercially prepared
by nurserymen probably due to the paucity of seeds of chilm fruits
and the slow growth of chilm seedlings in the nursel'Y.
The graft on rnohwu (Bussin long'ifolia or Bassi(l latifolia)
is not suittLble for planting in any region of India, Production
of sueh grafts by nurserymen should be stopped.
Selecting a nursery graft
At the time of purchasing a chiku graft from a nurseryman,
the grower should see that (1) the graft has both its scion !tnd
Iltock stems of equal thickness, (2) the scion is growing straight
with plenty of healthy lea,ves, (3) the union between the stock
and acion has perfectly healed so as not to present (my hollow
or unfilled space between the two stems, (4) the union is made at
least, six inches above the root-collar of the stock and not lower,
(5) the string or tape has not deeply cut into the tissues of the
graft-joint, (6) the Lop of the fltock above the union has been
removed, and (7) tIH-l graft has been really made from a gennine
::;C'ion tree of a reputed variety.
Forkert method of budding
A cheaper, easier a.nd more efficient method of propagation
called the l!'orkert method of budding which hIts been snccessfully
adopted for the mango at the Ganeshkhind .~'ruit Experiment
Station, Poolla, can also be recommended for budding the chilw.
'1'he chiku in Ceylon is successfully budcle(l on khirnee by this
method and there is every possibility of this method being
20
successfully adopted all over the coastal regions of India where the
climate is moist and rainfall heavy, For details of the operation
of budding, the reader is advised to refer to the Farm Bulletin
No. 0 entitled "The Mango in India",
PLANTING THE CHIKU
RIOR to the plan bing of the trees, the field should be deeply
A strong wind-break of
tall-growing trees should also be planted on the !:louth-west side of
the orchard as a protection against violent winds blowing in the
summer and monsoon seasons. Oasuarina equi.setifolia is the best
plant for planting as a wind-break on the Wesb Coast and all over
South India. Similarly, Dalbel'gia SiS800 (sMsltam) is most suitable
for North India.
P ploughed, harrowed and levelled.
The best time for planting is the beginning of the monsoon.
The trees should be planted 30 feet apart in heavy rainfall
tracts and 25 feet apart in dry zones. Pits two feet wiele and
two feet deep may be dug and filled with topsoil mixed in equal
proportion with well rotted farmyard manure.
If it is not raining and the ground is hard, it is necessary that
the pits are irrigated three days before planting and the
planting done when the soil becomes workable.
Since the chiku plants are sold in earthen pots, it is necessary
at the time of planting to remove the root- ball carefully by breaking the pot. The undisturbed plant with its unbroken root-ball
as taken out in its entirety from the pot is then placed in the
centre of the pit by excavating as much soil as is necessary to
accommodate the root-ball. While planting, ib is essential to press
the soil well around the root-ball of the plant.
After planting, the young tree must be supported by means
21
of a stake and kept erect.
Gooties in particular are
heavily branched at the
start and are, therefore,
more apt to lodge unless
supported. Make a small
basin of about two feet
radius around the tree
and wll,ter it copiously
immediately after plant.
ing.
A well balanced chiku tree (gooty layer)
properly planted and staked
If the tree is a graft,
take care to keep the
graft-joint well above the
ground level while plant.
ing, and to remove
growths, if any, from the
root·stock
below the
graft-joint.
The tape
and string should be
removed from the graft.
joint at the time of
planting the graft.
CARE OF THE ORCHARD
T
HE after-care of young chiku trees consists in watering
them regularly during the dry season, hand.digging the basins
occasionally and manuring once in a year.
The basins around the trees should be enlarged as the trees
get older. They should be kept a little bigger than the spread of
the largest branches. The trees will not require wa.tering in
22
periods of heavy rainfall, but during long breaks in the monsoon
and in winter and summer, they will have to be watered at intervals of six to twelve days according to the severity of weather.
Due to repeated irrigations, the soil in the basins is likely to
get packed and overgrown with weeds. It is necessary, therefore,
to remove weeds occasionally and dig the soil of the basins after
every third irrigation.
Manuring
The trees should be manured annually, preferably at the end
of the south-west monSQon in the heavy rainfall tracts of penin.
sular India. In the dry zones of the Deccan and also in North
India, the beginning of the monsoon is the right time for manuring.
A year· old tree may be given 50 pounds of farmyard manure
and one pound of ca8tor cake. From the second year onwards, the
above quantities should be increased by ten pounds and onf! pound
respeotively, tl.nnually, up to the end of the nInth yea.r. From the
tenth year onwards, the adult dose of manure mixture to be given
per tree would be 100 pounds farmyard manure, 15 pounds
castor cake and five pounds bonemeal.
The mltnure should be spread evenly and uniformly in the
basins and deeply dug in the case of gooty trees which are surface.
/
rooted. In the case of grafts which feed in the deeper layers of
the soil, the manure is best applied in a circular trench two to
three feet wide and six to nine inches deep under the inner fringes
of the tree's canopy. The trees should be watered immediately
after manuring.
From the seventh year onwards, the trees bear heavily and,
therefore, they should be manured twice in a year as suggested
in the schedule of annual operations (see pages 26.27).
Frost
Young chiku trees in North India are liable to be killed by
23
frost in winter. It is, therefore, necessary to cover the young
plants during the winter on top and three sides with a thatching,
keeping the south·east side open for light and sunshine. Such a
cover is quite effective in saving the young plants from being
killed by frost.
Inter-crops
During the first 10 years when the trees are young, ,much of
the orchard land between the rows of trees will remain unoccupied.
Inter.crops of vegetables can profitably be taken in this space if
facilities for extra irrigation are available.
Training snd pruning
Few cultivated fruit trees in the tropics are perhaps so grace.
The tree naturally develops
ful in form as the evergreen chiku.
a smooth central stem with radiating whorls of horizontally disposed branches produced at more or less regular intervals. These
main branches carry an array of short branchlets which bear fruits
terminally and also give out vegetative shoots from their sides.
The fruiting branchlets as well as the vegetative shoots are so
abundantly produced and 80 judioiously spaced on the tree by
nature, and the shape of the crown is so uniform and well balanced
all around, that little is left for the human hand to correot the
habit of the tree by pruning.
No pruning whatsoever is needed for at least a period of seven
to ten years after planting, except for the removal of stock growth,
if any, below the graft union, should the plant happen to be 11
graft. The chiku by nature is a slow and sparse grower, and there
should be no undue haste in pruning off any growth till all the
main branches growing in whorls have sufficient time to compete
with and outgrow each other.
The chiku tree puts forth branches very near the ground
During the first few
especia.lly if it happens to be a gooty layer.
years, these basal branches are very helpful in thickening the
24
A horizontally disposed main branch with its subsidiaries carrying a
well spaced array of fruit branchlets (above) and (below) a fruit-bearing
branchlet of cbiku
25
t:entral stem; but as the tree advances in age, branches of the
basal whorls at times weigh down almost to ground level and final.
ly become unfruitful, as they are eclipsed and shaded by the
upper whorls which are more vigorous-growing.
In these circumstan·
ces, when the tree has
developed a sufficiently
big size with a numser
of
well
established
whorls, the basal branches touching the ground
may be removed and
the crown of the tree
may with advantage be
raised to three or four
feet above ground. A
greater height than this
is not desirable as it
may make the tree top
heavy and susceptible to
wind injury.
FrameWOfk of an 8·year old cbiku tree showing
lVell balanced whorls of brancbes. The two
basal whorls wbich have been eclipsed
sbould be removed
Treatment of bearing trees and cropping
The chiku, propagated either by layering or grafting,
begins to bear small crops from the second or the third
year after planting, but it begins to bear substantial crops from
26
its seventh year. It is from the seventh year, therefore, that it
requires to be given special cultural treatment.
The chiku takes four months from flowering to mature its
fruit.
It blossoms continuously in several flushes at short
intervals throughout the year, and, consequently, the fruits
set by these flushes also mature at different times. It is,
therefore, possible to harvest a small crop of matllre
fruits from a tree once every week, but it is observed that in spite
of these continuous small croppings there are two main cropping
seasons when largel' or'ops are obtained. On the West Ooast near
''Sombay. the two main blossoming seasons are October-November
and February-March, and the two corresponding harvesting
seasons are January-February and May-.Tune.
'M(-.",.
..
,.
Schedule of annual operations
The following schedule of annual operations is recommended
as an ai.d to successfut cropping of chiku in West India,
Growers in other parts of India may modify the programme of
cultural operations to suit their own seasons of blossoming and
fruiting.
1. At the end of the south-west monsoon in October and
after harvesting the monsoon crop, plough the uncovered
space of the orchard in-between the rows of trees and
dig the ground underneath the canopy of trees.
2.
Examine the trunks for steo}i borers and the branches for
red ant nests, mealy bUgR and leaf miners and destroy
these insects (see pages 29.30)
3.
j\iake suitable irrigation beds which should be as large as
the spread of branches.
4.
In November, manure the trees individually in the basins
as recommended on page 22.
6. After manuring, give the first two irrigations in quirk suo·
27
l'ession at an interval of three days. Then irrigate at
intervals of eight to twelve days throughout the winter.
fJ.
After harvesting the winter crop in February, dig the bedA
and luallure the trees once again with the adult dose of
manure (see page 22).
7.
Water the trees soon after manuring and irrigate them at
intervals of five to seven days during the hot weather.
(The interval of watering should be ttdjusted according
to the type of soil and the severity of weather.)
S.
After harvesting the summer crop in MaY-tJune, keep the
orchard free of weeds during the rains. Irrigation may
not, be necessary during the monsoon in heavy rainfall
tracts, but in light rainfall areas, it lllay be given once in
a while during long breaks in the rains.
Y.
Tn young orchards where there is wiele open space inhetween the tree rows and if it is intended to take cold
weather inter-crops, sow sl1nnhemp in .June and bury it
as green manure in the beginning or in the middle of
August.
In South India, the t,wo main harvesting seasons are February
to .Tune ancI September to October.
Here, the trees may be
manured once in the beginning of the south· west monsoon in June
or July and for a second time in the beginning of the north-east
mOnsoon ill November.
In North and East India, the best time for the two manuring
operations would be February-March and .June-July, respectively.
HARVESTING AND YIELD
HE Cl:IIKU, be it a gra.ft or a layer, begins to bear small crops
from the second year after planting, hut it is from the fourth
or fifth year that it yields subst.antialc rops. On the West Coast
T
28
near Bornhay, it yields about 250 fruitll fler tree in the fifth year. In
the seventh year. the yield rises to 800 fruits and between the 10th
amI 1iith yea!', it may range from 1.500 to 2,000 fruits. In the
80th year, whieh if! considered the prime of Its life, the tree can be
'fhese yield figure~
expected to yield 2,500 to 3,000 fruits.
represent the aggrf'gate yields of several pickings done throughout
the year.
After the 40th year, the yield usually decliIles, and it may not
IL plantation economically thereafter,
though individual trees in favourable soil and climatic colltlitiollS
may live for iiJ years or more and ma,y still hear l>Iaiisfactory
('ropi5,
1)(,' profitable to maintain
Harvesting
}!'ruits as they mat,ure have to be inclivid ually picked hy hand
with t,h('ir "talks at,taehed. Even in one and the same cluster,
some fruits are more advanced in maturity than others. The
chiku fruit is said to he perfectly mature and ready for picking
when it begins to fIrop the brown scurf f!'0111 its skin.
A perfectly mature fruit with all its scurf off' the skin presents
a dull, orange eolouI' in contrast to the potato hrown of the
immatml'e fruit. Immature fruits give a green streak if scratched
with finger nails, whel'e[Ls mature fruits give a yellow streak.
Mature fruits should not be allowed to ripen on the tree as they
would either drop down or may be spoiled by crows and parrot:,;.
Mature fruits should be picked with their stalks when still hard
and green.
Ripening
Fruits ripen and soften within five days after pi{'king, if
kept in H basket at ordinary air temperature in a warm ruom.
During storage, the milliY latex altogether disappears and the
fruit becomes sweet and edible. The chiku fruit keeps in good
condition for seven to eight days from the date of picking.
29
Packing
If the fruits m'(' to be seni. to (liRtant markf'tR by rail, they
>.houln be parked immpdiately after picking wilrn they are still
hard, in bamboo baflketH. ltice straw 01' any kind of soft gmss is
goocl for padding around the fruits in bhe package. The fruits
should be grarled ill different flizes and each gI'ltcle sepf1rately
packed in a bamboo basket of tIl(' requircc1 si7.e.
fruits shonld be separll tt·Iy pa('ke(l,
Oval and !'ound
Cold storage
If it is (lesired to kepp t.lle fruits longer and sell them la.ter,
they should he stored in eold storage. The cold store iR an
insula led house ill which cooling is efTe('terl by a process
('ailed ammonia.-brine drculatiol1 syfltem. Tn the cold Atore,
(liffercnt rooms with difi't'rcnL temperutureA arc providerl to store
different kinds of pel'ishlLhle fruHs and vegetables. Such cold
storage fMilities are generally availahle in fL number of lEu'ger
citiefl
Unripe hard uhikll fruits can be mllcie to l'ip('Jl slowly und
satisfactorily between 52° and 56°F, At tb('sc temperatures, they
can be stored in good condition for about live weeks, If it is
desired to preserve ripe fruits they should be kept in cold storage
between 32° and 35°F. At these temprratnl'es, ripe frllitfl keep
in good conrlition for nl10nt six wrel;:s.
INSECT PESTS AND DISEASES
THE
OHIKU is remarkahly free from the ('ommon insert pestR,
and diseases which usually nttack other kinds of fruit.
tr('(·s. Leaf miner, mealy bug and stem borer are Rometimf's srell
in neglected plantations.
Lpn! miner.
It is an extremely tiny (,l1terpiIlnl' of
It
greyish
30
moth. It mines into the surfaC>8 of young chiku leaves and makes
them curl. The attacked leaves show glistening, irregular galleries
or mines on the leaf surface with often the tiny caterpillar inAide
them, Tlw infertr(l leaves grt distorted, dry up and fall.
Jlf m/ll bug. This iA a Rmall, ovaJ, sncking insect with It
cottony white, waxy (lovering on its body. Mealy bugs are found
sticking to the undersirle of chUm leaves and base of the fruit
near the [mit stalk. They suck the sap of the tree heavily and
spcrete a large quantit.y of sugaJ'y substance over whieh n, black
fungus called 'sooty mould' develops. The fungus pauses a black
coating on the letLVes and gives them a sickly appearance.
......
......
For both lraf miner anc1 mealy hug, spray ni('otinf' slllphn,t,e
mixed with we\tahJ€' DDT.
Mix one poun<1 nicotine sulphate (40 per cent). foul' pounds
soap and four pounds 50 per cent wettable DD1' in 80 gallons
of WI~ter. Give two Qt' three sprayings at an intt'l'val of three
w{'eks if the attack persists.
Always keep the plantation free of red ants as they are greatly
responsible for distrihuting m€'aly bugs from one i,ree to another.
Red antR may be killed by dusting tt mixture of 'GitlnmeXltne'
D.025 (five pel' cent BRC) with sulphur in the proportion of 2:1.
Stem borer. This is a stout grub of a beetle.
It,
bores into the bark of the trunk in circular galleries and fec(ls
l1pon the living tissue of the inner bark. The prer;eDf'e of the
insect can be detected from the chewed bark thrown out of a halo
in the trunk. The borer can he traced by eutting the dean bark
along the hollow t.unnels with a stout knife, or it ('nn be
killed by thrusting a stiff wire into the tunnel. Where the borer
has entererl the wood and consequently cannot be traced, the
hole may be plugged with It wad of cotton wool dipped in kerosene
and plastered with wet mud. The borer will get suffocated
and die within the tree.
OTHER BULLETINS IN THE SERIES
RICE CULTIVATION IN INDIA
As. 4
GROUNDNUT CULTIVATION IN INOlA
As.
ONION AND GARLIC CULTIVATION IN INDIA
As. 4
GOAT-KEEPING FOR PROFIT
A~. 4
COTTON CULTIVATION IN INDIA
As. 4
THE MANGO IN INDIA
As. 4
MANURES AND MANURING
As. ~
POTATO CULTIVATION IN INDrA
As. 4
CASflEWNUT CULTIVATION IN INDIA
As 4
TOBACCO CULTlVA nON IN INOlA
As. 4
Under preparation
GRAPE CULTURE IN INDIA
BEE-KEEPING FOR. REGINNERS
FISH CULTURE
SHEEP FARMING
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